Milk kefir drink may not reduce depression in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: secondary outcome analysis of a randomized, single-blinded, controlled clinical trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to investigate whether milk kefir consumption could reduce depression symptoms in individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Results Summary
The study found that while the Diet + Kefir group showed a significant reduction in depression scores, between-group analyses did not show significant differences, suggesting kefir may not effectively reduce depression symptoms in NAFLD patients.
Population
Adults with grades 1 to 3 of NAFLD.
Effective Dosage
500 cc milk kefir drink daily.
Duration
8 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
low-calorie diet | no change | depression score | adults with grades 1 to 3 of NAFLD | no significant change | was not significantly reduced | #1 |
low-calorie diet along with a 500 cc milk kefir drink daily | decrease | depression | adults with grades 1 to 3 of NAFLD | - | showed a significant reduction | #2 |
low-calorie diet along with a 500 cc milk kefir drink daily | decrease | energy consumption | adults with grades 1 to 3 of NAFLD | - | had a significantly decreased | #3 |
low-calorie diet along with a 500 cc milk kefir drink daily | decrease | carbohydrate consumption | adults with grades 1 to 3 of NAFLD | - | had a significantly decreased | #4 |
low-calorie diet along with a 500 cc milk kefir drink daily | decrease | fat consumption | adults with grades 1 to 3 of NAFLD | - | had a significantly decreased | #5 |
milk kefir drink | no change | depression symptoms | adults with NAFLD | - | may not reduce | #6 |
BACKGROUND: Depression is prevalent among individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and can cause poor health outcomes. Moreover, a solid bilateral association between NAFLD and depression has been shown, which may alleviate by kefir consumption. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effect of milk kefir drinks on the depression status of individuals with NAFLD. METHODS: In a secondary outcome analysis of a randomized, single-blinded, controlled clinical trial, 80 adults with grades 1 to 3 of NAFLD were included in an 8-week intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to Diet or Diet + kefir groups to either follow a low-calorie diet or a low-calorie diet along with a 500 cc milk kefir drink daily. The participants' demographic, anthropometric, dietary, and physical data were recorded before and after the study. Depression status was assessed using the Persian format of the second version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II-Persian) at the baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention. RESULTS: Overall, 80 participants aged 42.87 ± 10.67 years were included in the analysis. The data on the baseline demographic, dietary, and physical activity of the groups were not significantly different. During the study, participants in Diet + Kefir group had a significantly decreased energy (P = 0.02), carbohydrate (P = 0.4), and fat consumption (P = 0.4). However, during the study, the depression score was not significantly reduced in the Diet group, the Diet + Kefir group showed a significant reduction in depression (P = 0.02). However, between-group analyses for changes in depression were not significant (P = 0.59). CONCLUSION: Consumption of milk kefir drink for 8 weeks may not reduce depression symptoms in adults with NAFLD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered at IRCT.ir as IRCT20170916036204N6 (August 2018).